Contributed by: pashapasha(others by this writer | submit your own)Published on September 18th 2005Some people say that ska is dead. Some say it is dormant. I simply say it's not "the thing to be anymore." Gone are the days when you heard No Doubt, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mustard Plug, etc. on the radio. They've either dropped the two-tone and kept the horns (Less Than Jake, Cheer Up! from R.

Some people say that ska is dead. Some say it is dormant. I simply say it's not "the thing to be anymore." Gone are the days when you heard No Doubt, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mustard Plug, etc. on the radio. They've either dropped the two-tone and kept the horns (Less Than Jake, Cheer Up! from Reel Big Fish, the Aquabats, Five Iron Frenzy) or they've kept to it and not gotten the fame some of them deserved (RX Bandits, Mustard Plug, MU330, Mad Caddies). But is that so bad? Ska is back into the underground and it's doing fine. Lots of new bands are taking the black and white checkered banner again, and one of them is the Suburban Legends.

When I first heard the Suburban Legends, I thought it was Reel Big Fish. And that's logical. They're kind of a good mix of pre-Cheer Up! RBF and the album after it. And it sounds great! Maybe too poppy for some of the traditionalists, but the melodies do sure get stuck into the back of your mind for the remainder of your skanking minds.

Now to the CD. From the first seconds of the first single "High Fives," your feet start to move or your head starts bopping. This is poppy, but the ska rhythm still's there and makes it a great CD starter. The double lyrics are great too, and make it all the more admirable. Other standout tracks include "All The Nights" (you just can't stop your hands coming together and clapping along with the song), "Autumn In The Park" (with some great horn work), "Last Dance" (slow start and then goes on faster and faster), "Up All Night" (simply awesome with a great brass sound and a brilliant sing-along chorus) and the best of them all (in my humble opinion): "Bright Spring Morning," with an awsome play between the double guitars and the two-tone.

All the songs rock and this CD is simply put, really good. If you like ska, this is a must-have. If you don't, this could maybe get you interested into the genre. Just try it!

SL is one of my favorite bands of ALL time and certainly one of the most original bands to come out, especially out of the Ska scene. What some people *coughHEREcough* don't understand about the whole "boyband" thing that it's a parody. They do it TO ENTERTAIN. You don't see ANY ska bands with that much choreography, because they want to put on a show. What's wrong with that?? Each song is creative and catchy and has some of the best horns I have ever heard. You might call them RBF ripoffs, but they do have alot of influence from them, because they are really REALLY good friends. But SL is more than just "RBF influenced", they bring in different types of musical genres than any other band. Sure, they are not for EVERYONE, that's a given. But they do not suck at all. But hey, some of the you posting are probably not into ska and into hardcore or whatever. Who cares. I like good music and SL is GREAT music.

this band is good live.
the recording doesn't do them justice.
are they even playing anymore?
this is from 2003

Anonymous (September 21, 2005)

ok.... can we just agree that they suck?

Anonymous (September 21, 2005)

I dug this band initially because they were something new and there just wasn't a lot of ska out there. On the EP they released before this, five out of five songs were great ska songs. This album has mostly horn-driven pop or pop-rock, with around three or four actual ska songs. From what I've heard of their newer songs, they're moving even further from ska.

But this band should not be judged on their recordings alone. When you see this band live, that is when you know you are a believer or nonbeliever. As was mentioned, this group is a boyband who happens to sing and perform ska. They're all good-looking young guys who wear stylish clothing and have choreography (and I don't use this term lightly) for every song. It's definitely something that should be seen at least once. I'll admit that after repeat viewing, the schtick just gets gimmicky, though.

There are some really great songs on this CD, and some pretty bad ones, too. "Bright Spring Morning," "All The Nights," and "Zanzibar" are probably my favorites. Definitely influenced (very very strongly) by Reel Big Fish, but you can also tell from listening to them that most of their money comes from Disney paychecks. They spend (spent?) months as the live entertainment at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, playing three (possibly more) half-hour sets every night.

you have got to be freaking kidding me. this cd is atrocious: repetitive bland, meaningless POP-ROCK WITH HORNS. they're just a crappy RBF knock off (except with lyrics that have absolutely 0 insight/meaning/humor) that have gotten popular for doing back flips and wearing paul frank ties. for christs sake the album was produced by the guy who did turn the radio off. my ex bought this after we saw them, we went home and listened to it and were simulatneously said "holy crap does this suck."

if you live somewhere where the cold bitter hand of winter looms on the horizon, check it out and crank it loud before the turning leaves are covered in blackened slush... and if you're somewhere it's sunny and bright all year long... no one likes you anyway.

This might be long... so have a seat (you're probably already sitting):
#1 i don't know what wave of ska this is, or whether or not it's really ska or not, fuck the genre discussion i don't even have time to stand atop that soapbox
#2 i'm not a huge ska fan... but sometimes a band will manage to dig their way under my skin (less than jake, streetlight, catch22, older RBF, big d, old suicide machines)
#3 i am a generally jaded and apthetic fuck... but occasionally a song or album will manage to cut through my bitterness and fill me with the joy of spring/summer - this is one of those albums
"Bright Spring Morning" was probably the best goddamned song i heard all summer... "All the Nights" and "Up All Night" share more than just their short 3 word title structure and nocturnal choruses, they're infectiously catchy, goofy, and manage to crack through the misery of an hour spent stuck on the FDR Drive!
Sure its all a bit fruity and tongue in cheek (like "Do it for the Kids" and "High Fives") but if you can sit still and listen to this shit or better yet drive without opening the goddamned sunroof on an awesome day with this shit cranking you're truly dead inside.
I've never seen their show/DVD so i can't comment on their "dance" moves or sychronized horn playing... but the damn music is too upbeat and light to just stand there so whatever they wanna do onstage i support

Finally: if you're some sort of ska purist or closed-minded curmudgeon don't bother listening... if you live somewhere where the cold bitter hand of winter looms on the horizon, check it out and crank it loud before the turning leaves are covered in blackened slush... and if you're somewhere it's sunny and bright all year long... no one likes you anyway.

haha, the haiku seemed funnt when i was drunk. your comparision was a bit much, but i was just fucking around.

Anonymous (September 18, 2005)

I typed that post about Suburban Legends being the synchronized dancing idiots that they are. I did not know that people get really pissed about how you type a message.
This band is complete crap though and I can see the idiots complaining about the post dancing along....
Haiku? Ha Ha wtf? We like to use stuff we just learned in 10th grade.
Rock on!

I don't think the guy was talking about your spacing.
He was talking about the poster below him.
Who typed like this
And trashed Suburban Legends
and your review.
I don't really have an oppinion,
As I don't really listen to this band.
But I like ska and the two tone colors.
-Dante
El
Gigante

dude
maybe I like to type like this
and this is my first review
so if you could give me a couple of tips it would be nice of you
and why do I know nothing of ska?
please tell me so I can become as highly intelligent as you
thanks ahead

I'm glad ska isn't as popular, because when I go to local ska shows I actually have room to skank, and there isn't any idiots who want to "mosh" all the time.

Anonymous (September 18, 2005)

ummm hell yes...
Look at me
I'm a moron who
Keeps hitting enter
And types like this
Like it's some sort of fucking haiku
And i know nothing about ska
Or anything else for that matter
At least I use Caps.

Anonymous (September 18, 2005)

umm hell no...
They are n sync with horns
Two guys to play trumpet and two guys to play trombone and two of them just synchronized dance before the rest of em jump in..
By far the worst excuse for a ska band I have ever seen.
Legends of nothing rookies in the toilet...
Just kick a few guys out and do butt rock covers